G7 talks: Foreign ministers to meet in Liverpool over sharp warning of danger of war with Russia

The foreign ministers of the world’s most powerful free nations are meeting in Liverpool this weekend for a meeting likely to be dominated by Russia’s looming military increase on Ukraine’s borders.

The assembly comes a few days after the new British leader of the armed forces issued a stern warning the danger of war with Russia.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin described it as very worrying the accumulation of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine.

He warned that the Russian invasion would be on a scale “not seen in Europe since World War II”.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned Russia this week that it would be a “strategic mistake” to step up aggression against Ukraine, but would not commit to the idea of ​​sending more British troops into the country.

In a video call between the two leaders this week, US President Joe Biden told Vladimir Putin that the Russian invasion would lead to “strong economic measures”. Mrs. Truss confirmed this by saying that “very real costs” should be paid.

But Russian President Putin is only doubling his rhetoric accusing Ukraine of genocide in the east of the country.

“What is happening in Donbas at the moment: we can see it very well, we know it and it looks like the genocide you just mentioned. We need to act very carefully without belittling these definitions, but they should reflect the reality of constant events,” he said.

The Liverpool meeting is an opportunity for the G7 to prove its importance in a rapidly changing world. This will be the second such meeting in the six months of the British presidency of the group.

The group consists of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the United States, Canada, Germany and Japan, and the EU.

When foreign ministers met at Lancaster House in May, real questions arose about the future of the G7 after four years of Trump’s presidency and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Donald Trump had little time for multilateral organizations like the G7. The crisis in Ukraine will give it another chance to prove its worth.

But equally important will be his ability to fulfill his own COVID agenda. In June in Cornwall, G7 leaders were urged to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, but failed to meet their goal of securing a billion doses for global distribution.

The recent alarm over the new version of Omicron has made this bug all the more startling. Foreign ministers also have the opportunity to make up for this.

Organizers say they will also discuss violence against women in conflicts, development issues, Ethiopia, Iran and the Western Balkans.

On Sunday, there will be a virtual conference with the Foreign and Development Ministers of the ASEAN countries, except Burma, and their G7 counterparts.